I’ve been chasing a feeling for such a long time now, something close to when I first sat down and listened to Childish Gambino’s 2016 album Awaken My Love. It was one of the first records that I listened to all the way through, no skips, and then when I received it for Christmas I played the record on my scratchy little suitcase record player so much that even my parents know the tracklist. For me, that album really set something off with me that no other album has been able to achieve in quite the same way until I heard Cruzafied.
This album is gooey. It’s gooey and it’s effortlessly cool and it has this edge to it that gets stuck in your teeth but you’re not mad about it. It’s like when you’re reminded of a delicious meal you ate a few hours prior, and you’re like My God that tasted great.
Cruza is the Spanish word for cross which seems fitting considering this Florida-based band finds themselves at an intersection of genres, creating these surreal, melt-in-the-mouth songs that are just oh-so-sexy. Each track laden with smooth guitar riffs that bounce off of 808 beats creating a heavy atmosphere, like the sort of feeling when it’s 4 am and you can’t sleep. Fluid in its composition each passing song slinks into the next, disarming you and leaving you hungry for more
This band know what they’re doing, it’s clear they love music and have a true passion for their art, which I hold the utmost respect for. Being able to cherry-pick aspects of a genre and weave them into your own intergalactic, dreamscape, liminal sound that Cruza manages to create is an absolute talent.
I hadn’t listened to Cruza before, I’d never even heard of them, but I was recommended them by someone on the internet so maybe it pays off to put yourself out there more because you might be missing out on some of the best music you’ve heard in a really long time. On the flip side, I guess I’m going to be chasing a feeling again.
Cruza: Cruzafied – Out 14th June 2024 (Def Jam Recordings)
Meg is a proud Mancunian and Music Journalist. She started out by writing press releases for bands in her free time, but now runs her own website Dyrti which she plans to expand in the near future. She loves Lester Bangs and Tony Wilson and has interviewed bands such as Cabbage, Oceans On Mars and Adult Cinema. You will more often than not find her somewhere in the Northern Quarter.
